Flirting — a story
THE “FLIRT”
Fiction Short Story By Vikram Karve
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circa — 1970’s
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PART 1
TÊTE-À-TÊTE
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“Do I need to flirt with every man I meet in the hope that he would marry me…?” she said to me, looking peeved.
She paused for a moment.
Then — she spoke.
“That’s what my mother wants me to do — she literally pushes me towards every officer she thinks is an “eligible bachelor” — hoping that he would marry me….” she said.
I remained silent — to let her vent out her emotions.
She looked at me angrily — while she spoke.
“My mother — she pushed me into the arms of your course-mate — hoping he would marry me — but — your course-mate did exactly the opposite — he fucked me — and then — he dumped me….” she said.
“Please don’t use such vulgar language…” I said.
“Vulgar…? You are a real prude — aren’t you…?” she said to me, with a mocking smile.
“It doesn’t look good — a nice girl like you using such “four letter words”…” I said to her.
“Ha — Ha — “four letter word” — you want me to use the word “lovemaking” — do you…? Well — there was certainly no “love” involved — it was an act of “lust” — he got me drunk — he took me to his cabin — and he fucked me…” she said, with disgust in her voice.
“He got you drunk…? Did he…?” I asked her.
“No. No…” she interrupted, “I got drunk willingly — to loosen my inhibitions. It was my first time — and I was a bit nervous…”
“Oh…” I said.
“I had flirted with many officers before — but I knew where to draw the line. But all those flirtations turned out to be transitory — fleeting romances. But — with your course-mate — it was different — he wooed me quite intensely — I felt that he was genuinely interested in me — I thought that if I let him fuck me — he would marry me — but — exactly the opposite happened — the moment I let him fuck me — he dumped me. I think that was all he wanted — to fuck me…” she said.
“That’s bad…” I said.
“He probably thought I was a woman of “loose morals” — that I was not “wife material” — that I was good enough to have a “good time” with — but I was not good enough to marry. So — he went home — and he got married to the “back home type” girl selected by his parents. And me — I have lost my virginity — so now — no one will marry me…” she said, with scorn.
“Don’t say that…” I said, “Times have changed. People are more broad-minded nowadays…”
She looked at me and gave me a curious smile.
“Will you marry me…? I am telling you that your course-mate fucked me and I am not a virgin. Come on — you marry me…” she taunted me.
I remained silent — not knowing what to say.
“You see — it is easy to talk modern things — but doing it in actual life is difficult — most of you officers I have met — you show off that you are very modern and liberal — but actually — you all are narrow-minded MCP’s — like your course-mate — who fucked me and dumped me…” she said, with contempt in her tone.
“Why are you saying all this to me…? Did I ever do anything wrong to you…?” I said to her.
“No. No. You are the best officer in your course. I still remember what you told me when I tried to flirt with you…” she said.
“What did I tell you…?” I asked her.
“You told me what your grandfather had said to you — “If you don’t want to go to a certain town — then don’t take the first step on the road to that town…” she said, “that is what your grandfather told you — isn’t it…?”
“Yes…” I said.
“You made it quite clear to me — that since you didn’t intend marrying me — you were not interested in flirting with me…” she said to me.
I smiled at her.
“You follow the same principle too — albeit in the opposite manner — you flirt with every boy in the hope that he will marry you — like your mother advised you…” I said to her.
“Yes — but it boomeranged with your course-mate…” she said, “I flirted with him — I even let him fuck me — in the hope that he would marry me — and instead — he dumped me — and I lost my virginity in the bargain too…”
“But you have decided to “Bash on Regardless”…?” I said to her, “You are going to keep “flirting” till you find a husband…?”
“Yes. I am meeting someone tonight…” she said.
“Here — in the Club…?” I asked her.
“Yes…” she looked at her watch and said, “It’s almost 8 o’clock — he should be coming now…”
“Oh. Then I should go — I don’t want to be a “Kabab Mein Haddi”…” I said.
I got up to leave — and I said to her: “All the Best on your new “conquest…”
She smiled at me — almost a laugh.
“I enjoyed talking to you…” she said, “Just talking — for the sake of talking — no intention — no ulterior motive — no expectations — just simple conversation…”
“Me too…” I said, “I enjoyed talking to you…”
Then — I walked across the club lawns towards the bar.
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Dear Reader — did I tell you the name of the girl I was talking to…?
Well — her name was “Nisha” — yes — Nisha.
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THREE YEARS LATER
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PART 2
BRIEF ENCOUNTER
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“Why don’t you sit in the wardroom and have a drink…” the OOD said, “I’ll finish off my rounds and join you…”
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[The Wardroom is a Naval Officers’ Mess on a Warship or Stone Frigate (Naval Shore Establishment).
OOD is the acronym of “Officer of the Day” — the “de facto” and “de jure” Commanding Officer of the warship in off-hours in harbour…]
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The OOD met me at the gangway of the ship.
“Why don’t you sit in the wardroom and have a drink…? I’ll finish off my rounds and join you…” the OOD said to me.
I walked down to the Ship’s Wardroom.
I was surprised to see Nisha sitting inside.
She was all alone — except for the steward standing behind the bar.
I smiled at Nisha.
She smiled back.
I sat down in front of her.
“So nice to see you here…” I said to Nisha.
“Yes — it’s been 3 years since we last met — isn’t it…?” she said.
“Yes…” I said, “In the club…”
“I didn’t know you were on this ship…” she said, “in fact — I didn’t see you on other ships too — or — in the club — or in the mess…”
“No. No…” I said, “I am not on this ship — in fact — I am not even posted in Mumbai — I am in Delhi — I have come on Temporary Duty here — the OOD is my Boss’s brother-in-law — I have come to collect some duty-free canteen stuff from him for my Boss…”
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The steward asked me what I would like to drink.
“Get me a “Chivas Regal” — Large…” I said to the Steward.
And then — I looked at the glass on the table in front of Nisha.
She seemed to be drinking whisky too — so — I asked her: “Same for you…?”
“Okay…” Nisha said — looking at her glass, “But I am having “Black Dog” with Soda…”
I looked at Nisha — and I asked her: “So — where is your “host”…?”
“He has gone to his cabin — to “tidy up”…” Nisha said.
“So — are you still flirting with every man you meet in the hope that he would marry you…?” I said — tongue-in-cheek.
“No…” Nisha said, with a naughty smile, “Now — I flirt — just to have a “good time”….”
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Suddenly — the OOD popped into the Wardroom.
He smiled at Nisha — then he looked at me.
“Ah — I can see that you are comfortable. I’ll just go to the gangway and call up the Captain — I’ll make the “rounds report” to the Captain — and then — I’ll join you here for a drink…” the OOD said to me.
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(This story happened 45 years ago — in the 1970’s — many years before the advent of mobile phones.
Those days — when a ship came to harbour and berthed alongside a jetty — a landline telephone was rigged up at the Quartermaster’s Post near the Ship’s Gangway)
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The OOD left — and — an Officer entered the Wardroom.
I knew the officer — not intimately — but — I knew him just by face.
The Officer had a “spoken reputation” of being an ardent womanizer — a “Casanova”.
I wished him — he wished me back.
Then — the Officer looked at Nisha and he said to her:
“Let’s go up to my cabin…”
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Nisha finished her drink — she smiled at me — and — she left with the Officer — to his cabin — to have a “good time”.
After Nisha and the Officer had left — I pondered over Nisha’s words:
“Now — I flirt — just to have a “good time”….”
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I thought to myself:
“What a metamorphosis in Nisha…!”
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Earlier:
She was flirting with the intention of “hooking” a husband.
Now:
She had become a “hooker” — a “fleet auxiliary”.
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Dear Reader:
If you wish to know more about the sobriquet “Fleet Auxiliary” — please read my story of a “fleet auxiliary”.
(click on the title of the story below to read the story in a new window)
THE “FLEET AUXILIARY” CALLED SEMAPHORE SIGNAL
But — before you read that story — do comment on this story — THE “FLIRT”.
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VIKRAM KARVE
Copyright © Vikram Karve
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Disclaimer:
- This story is a fictional spoof, satire, pure fiction, just for fun and humor, no offence is meant to anyone, so take it with a pinch of salt and have a laugh.
- All Stories in this Blog are a work of fiction. Events, Places, Settings and Incidents narrated in the stories are a figment of my imagination. The characters do not exist and are purely imaginary. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.
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Copyright © Vikram Karve (all rights reserved)
Link to my source post in my Blog Academic and Creative Writing Journal Vikram Karve: http://karvediat.blogspot.com/2020/05/the-butterfly.html
Also posted in my writing blog at url: https://karve.wordpress.com/2020/05/21/the-butterfly-a-romance-story/ and https://karve.wordpress.com/2021/01/18/the-butterfly/ and https://karve.wordpress.com/2021/06/10/story-of-a-butterfly/ and https://karve.wordpress.com/2021/11/21/the-flirt/ etc
© vikram karve., all rights reserved.
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